Former man makes partial confessions after finding Annie De Poortere’s body: “Yes, I buried her in the garden” (Sint-Martens-Latem)

The then husband of Annie De Poortere, the 48-year-old woman from Sint-Martens-Latem who disappeared without a trace in 1994, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of murder. Hans D. (78) has now made partial confessions: “Yes, I buried Annie in the garden,” it sounds.

Last Saturday, the remains of a body were accidentally found during excavation work behind the garage of a family home in Sint-Martens-Latem. Based on “several strong indications”, the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office already assumed that these were the remains of Annie De Poortere. The then 48-year-old woman lived in the house next door, but disappeared without a trace on November 12, 1994.

After the discovery of the body, an investigating judge was ordered to investigate the circumstances of the death. “This investigation has now led to the arrest of a 78-year-old man, the then partner of the victim,” the public prosecutor’s office said. “After thorough interrogation by the police services, the investigating judge decided to bring the man to trial and subsequently arrest him under electronic surveillance for acts that are provisionally qualified as murder.”

(Read more below the photo)

Confession

The man was arrested on Monday morning at his home in Sint-Niklaas, where he now lives. He was interrogated for a whole day. At the end of the day he was arrested by the investigating judge after he confessed that he had buried her body there. “Yes, I buried my wife Annie there in that spot in the garden 30 years ago,” Hans D. (78) reportedly confessed to investigators on Monday afternoon, according to our information. The man will have to appear before the council chamber within five days, which will decide on his further arrest.

“Yes, I buried my wife Annie there in that spot in the garden 30 years ago”

Hans D. (78)

Annie’s ex-partner

These are partial confessions: the man has not confessed to killing his wife. It is not yet clear how the woman died in 1994. The DNA research that was supposed to confirm whether it was Annie De Poortere’s body has not yet been completed. But thanks to Hans D.’s confession, there is now great certainty about this. The body will be examined by a medical examiner later this week in the hope that the cause of death can be determined.

“She had disappeared”

D. was the last person who would have seen Annie De Poortere alive. He stated on the TV show in 1999 Call 2020 that he had left home that Saturday to do some shopping and then went to a football match. When he came home that evening, his wife was gone. He then suggested that his wife had left voluntarily.

The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office does not want to confirm the confession and does not want to provide any explanation for Hans D’s statements. The man has been arrested for acts that have been provisionally classified as murder. In a press release, the public prosecutor’s office said earlier in the day that “further investigation will have to reveal what his actual role was in the death of the victim.”

Sister: “I want to know what his exact role in my sister’s death is”

Karina De Poortere, Annie’s sister, previously reacted with surprise to the arrest of her former brother-in-law. On Sunday she already had mixed feelings when the news broke that her sister had possibly been found: she was sad because she is now certain that her older sister has died, but above all she had many questions about the investigation.

“I am happy because things are finally moving forward,” she now said in response to the arrest of her then brother-in-law. “I am excited that answers will finally come. Why wasn’t this possible 30 years ago? But now I want to know what exact role Hans D. played in the disappearance and death of my sister.”